The Christmas recipe is missing some ingredients

The Christmas recipe is missing some ingredients

If you thought that I had my shite together, let me tell you, that hasn't happened since I was in diapers.

Today was the last day of school for a while. I say for a while because I truly don't know. They are on winter break, until January 4, unless the School Board decides that it's necessary to continue to keep them at home and go back to virtual school. Tomorrow, I have to go to the grocery store, because we have nothing to eat in the house. Don't go shedding any tears, we have shelves full in the pantry with boxes on the floor waiting to go on the shelves, 2 refrigerator/freezers with stuff in them. But that's just stuff, it's really not food, according to these walking vacuum cleaners. They want to see the area above the refrigerator (where the snacks are kept) fully loaded which at best can only hold a two day supply for a bunch of locusts. This is of course over and above the other shelves in the kitchen that hold a variety of other items, and never mind fruit, we go through 2 to 3 pounds of bananas a day.

We started the Christmas Crazies earlier in the week. The niggling and nitpicking and meltdowns become more frequent and the intensity increases. And it's all normal, anxiety isn't exclusively reserved for adults. And there, we have it, an important signpost for the Christmas season. The tree is up, and that too was important part of the tradition. In terms of new traditions, I got Deb the 2021 White House ornament. So, we are actually walking along the path towards Christmas. But the usual signs are just missing. Prime Rib slated for Christmas dinner, it's all prepped and rubbed and chillin' in the fridge, and it's just a hunk of meat in a big plastic bag with all of the appropriate seasonings, but even without having tasted it, there's just something missing. The kids all have advent calendars, but I'm not sure that they kept up with the countdown, after all, it's just cheap chocolate and missing the flavor of Christmas.

I have heard some Christmas music, but truly very little. Most of what I've heard in this last year has been a litany of hate, bigotry and prejudice rounded out by a chorus of stupidity. And that, was from the Christians, the ones that may have gotten the memo, but couldn't read it because of their selective vision. These misinformed, self righteous, usurpers hide their hatred behind concepts that are historically and biblically inaccurate. I am actually more comfortable with those that would state that they don't believe. That is at least honest. In fact there are many who question the whole birth story and believe it to be fiction. I don't know the answer to that, for me, the real question of authenticity is the three wise men. They showed up once 2000 years ago and haven't been seen since, and certainly not in the halls of Congress.

In my household, my wife tends to the Christmas celebration in terms of what gifts are required. It is something she spends months on. Months in contemplation as to what gift is appropriate for each recipient, months making special gifts with her hands, months worrying about the adequacy and the quality. That's her job, not because I don't care, but because she is a mother and a grandmother, and this is her opportunity to shine. It's her moment to work on spoiling children without me saying a word about them being spoiled. She has her recipe for Christmas as far as the celebration and the care and compassion attributed to every gift. She does that, I'm just the guy in charge of guiding the sleigh, and any interference on my part will not be tolerated.

Here I am, at a time that should be marked by happiness and joy and memories brought back while more are made, and I don't have all of the ingredients. This sauce is lacking in flavor. In this season, where we argue about the concept of a war on Christmas, and take any incursion on our celebrations as an affront, we forget that the family of man is seven billion members and that we are at a time of the year when 20 plus religions and beliefs celebrate. We as Christians selfishly believe that we are right, we have the might and that nobody else matters. We focus on the differences instead of the commonality. We forget that we are celebrating a holy day with borrowed concepts, with made up concepts, with lies. We celebrate the birth of a white Jesus, using a fictitious character who was extracted from other beliefs and converted to whiteness to satisfy the needs of the merchants. The modern day versions of the money changers, who were chased from the temple, but now truly do own and control many of the houses of worship, all of which worship the wrong idol, a false idol.

We forget the reason for the season, we forget that all of the people celebrating during this period of “Festivus” have something in common, in fact they have a lot in common. We all celebrate life, the continuance of life, the harvest and the blessings of the creation. We celebrate relationships and kindred spirits, we celebrate joy and in all cases we celebrate the teachings of those that came before us, teachings that called for us to love one another, teachings that wished for peace on earth, teachings that showed us all how to live and love and care for one another, that's the part that is missing in our recipe.

Having said all of this, let me wish you a Merry Christmas as well as Happy Holidays, see how easy that was, we didn't have to do one or the other, we simply went for the inclusive route and added them together. May you enjoy peace and light, may you be blessed with good fortune, may you be held in the bonds of love from all of your sisters and brothers, met and unmet. May you continue your journey in this life free of strife and safe in your own personal beliefs. And to all a good night.